A Liverpool legend who deserves greater respect
The season has barely started and already criticism in some quarters is suggesting that Jamie Carragher should not only be benched, but that he should retire. Carragher is not getting any younger at the age of 33, but he still has a lot to offer Liverpool, and deserves more respect than he has been shown in the last few weeks.
Carragher is Mr. Liverpool, he has been an ever present over the past decade, and one of the most consistent and reliable performers for Liverpool during this period, so this knee jerk reaction to his start to the season is uncalled for.
Carragher gave away the penalty-which on another day might not have been given-which saw Liverpool lose a tight game to Stoke, and he made an uncharacteristic mistake which saw them lose their clean sheet against Bolton, but he has been solid throughout Liverpool’s league games so far. As a defender your mistakes are always magnified, so you are more likely to come in for criticism than those up the field ahead of you. This seems a little unfair as other players could be equally to blame for Liverpool’s performances so far this season, yet Carragher is taking the majority of the flak.
Carragher’s still has a lot to offer Liverpool, his positioning is still excellent, and he is still a top tackler, he is also a leader on the field, and this is vital to Liverpool particularly in the absence of Steven Gerrard. Those suggesting that his legs are gone and that he is lacking pace, seem deluded as pace isn’t something he has ever possessed. The same goes for criticism of his distribution, again he has always been more of a hoofer, he has never possessed the passing skills of Xabi Alonso, and he takes a safety first approach. Playing Carragher alongside Daniel Agger who possesses pace and excellent distribution skills is the perfect foil to this.
It would be criminal to suggest that Martin Skrtel, Agger or Sebastien Coates are better than Carragher, but it might not be too long before they become the better option. However, at this time Liverpool should stick with Carragher. He has been consistently better than Skrtel over the last few seasons, unfortunately Agger is injured more often than not, and Coates is still young with plenty to learn, and will no doubt benefit from learning alongside the experienced Carragher. Carragher’s role will inevitably decrease as time goes by, but just like Giggs at United, Carragher can still do a fine job at the club. He has plenty to offer the reds, and his experience will be very beneficial to the youngsters at the club.
To be fair to Carragher he hasn’t started any of the last few seasons that well, but by the end he has been a rock in Liverpool’s defence. He was heavily criticised at the beginning of both last season and 2009, but he responded brilliantly over the rest of the year, and the criticism soon dissipated. He certainly doesn’t deserve to be dropped based on one or two errors in the opening five games. Nobody will be more upset about making mistakes than Carragher himself, but if he puts in a few good performances the criticism will soon disappear.
Of course there is no room for sentiment in football, but the judgement that he is only playing because he is a club legend is harsh, and Kenny Dalglish has been quick to state that he is picked on merit. He is seemingly just the scapegoat of the moment, and just because he is over 30 and makes a mistake it shouldn’t mean that he is past it.
Ultimately, Carragher will know himself when it is time to stand aside or retire. Nobody deserves their place on past glories, and he may not be the player he was a few years back, but he is still a first choice, and deserves much more respect for everything he has given and brought to the club than he is currently receiving.
Do you think the criticism of Carragher has been harsh? Let me know your thoughts by commenting below, or following me on Twitter @LaurenRutter for more comment and debate.
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Carra is top notch.
Ok he has made mistakes,but at least he reads the game and gets into these positions,more often than not because he is covering for one of the others that have mis-read the game and got court out.
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Iam of the thinking that carra should be fazed out slowly to give his future replacement time to learn of carra and to find his feet,that is not being
disrespectful if jammie is now coming to
that age for footballers when the bodies dont work as good as they did because of wear and tear.Jamie as been
a tower of strenth at the back for many years and iam sure all red fans the world over thank him for what he has given through the years,and iam sure the man has more to offer the club when he does finally calls it a day,but if the teams performence is affected by any
player not playing to the required level that is needed to challenge for honours then as a fan we do have the right to voice not only full support but
also that the player be droped from the team or sold.
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SAI Reply:
September 25th, 2011 at 6:37 am
pal, are you a liverpool fan??
he has dedicated his entire life for LFC and you talk like one MAN.U guy!
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If Jammie was playing for another team………would he be a transfer target??
Kenny is building a new side & he cannot be a part of the future of the LFC first team. I have never rated Jammie. No pace, can’t pass/won’t pass, no good in the air & out-muscled by just about everyone.
If he wasn’t from Liverpool…..nobody would be defending him – fact!!
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Lauren Rutter Reply:
September 24th, 2011 at 6:58 am
I think that’s harsh, he’s been an outstanding servant to LFC. Sure he isn’t getting younger and will start to be gradually fazed out of the side, but the calls for him to retire or to be dropped seem a little premature.
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Liking the “Sheringham” no pace to lose argument.
I think the most relevant point is the last one. He’ll know himself when it’s time to stop playing.
I would not suggest not yet.. especially when you consider how it will help the youngsters coming through (Flanagan, Robinson etc.) playing alongside Carra.
Until there’s a viable alternative then I can’t see Carragher going anywhere for a a season or 2 yet.
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Lauren Rutter Reply:
September 24th, 2011 at 11:36 am
Thanks. It seems crazy, pace was never one of his attributes so why criticize him for it now? I think he will be a fantastic help to all the great youngsters we have coming through
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we all dream of a team of carraghers
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